Artyom Zorin has announced the release of Zorin OS 9 "Educational" edition, an Ubuntu-based distribution packed with specialist software suitable for use in educational environments: "We are pleased to release Zorin OS 9 Educational. Zorin OS 9 Educational brings the latest and greatest software into the hands of students and teachers. Updated software and bug fixes ensure that your computer runs better than ever while improved hardware support and entirely new software ensures that you're getting the best experience you can, no matter which computer you use it on. All Zorin OS 9 editions are long-term support (LTS) releases which means that you'll continue to get software updates and security fixes until 2019, making it the ideal choice for large-scale deployments." Here is the brief release announcement. Download (MD5) the live DVD image from SourceForge: zorin-os-9-educational-64.iso (2,106MB).

Zorin OS is an Ubuntu-based Linux distribution designed especially for newcomers to Linux. It has a Windows-like graphical user interface and many programs similar to those found in Windows. Zorin OS also comes with an application that lets users run many Windows programs. The distribution's ultimate goal is to provide a Linux alternative to Windows and let Windows users enjoy all the features of Linux without complications.

Artyom Zorin has announced the release of two new editions of the Ubuntu-based Zorin OS 9 distribution, the i386-only "Lite" and "Educational Lite" variants: "We are pleased to announce the release of Zorin OS 9 Lite and Educational Lite. These releases are the latest evolutions of the Zorin OS Lite series of operating systems, designed specifically for Linux newcomers using old or low-powered hardware. This release is based on Lubuntu 14.04 and uses the LXDE desktop environment to provide one of the fastest and most feature-packed interfaces for low-spec machines. This new release includes newly updated software as well as new software inclusions for the best lightweight desktop experience. The Educational Lite edition adds educational software to the desktop, making it the ideal choice for students, teachers and schools with low-powered hardware. All Zorin OS 9 editions are Long Term Support (LTS) releases." Here is the brief release announcement. Download (MD5): zorin-os-9-lite-32-a.iso (750MB), zorin-os-9-edu-lite-32-a.iso (1,452MB).

Artyom Zorin has announced the release of Zorin OS 9, a new version of the Ubuntu-based user-friendly distribution designed for newcomers to Linux: "We are excited to announce the release of Zorin OS 9 Core and Ultimate. The main focus for Zorin OS 9 has been on stability and the refinement of Zorin OS' wide array of incredible features. Firstly, Zorin OS 9 includes a myriad of updated software and bug fixes to ensure that your computer runs better than ever. New applications such as the Firefox web browser and Rhythmbox music player have also been included in this release. EFI boot support has been added, making it easier to get Zorin OS on newer computers (64-bit only). In addition, we have introduced a new Blue desktop theme to the Zorin Theme Changer in complement to the Light and Dark themes. As Zorin OS 9 is based on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS you can expect to receive continuous software updates until 2019." Read the full release announcement which includes a screenshot of the Zorin desktop. Download (MD5): zorin-os-9-core-64.iso (1,426MB).

Artyom Zorin has announced that the release candidate for the upcoming Zorin OS 9, a beginner-friendly desktop Linux distribution based on Ubuntu 14.04, is ready for testing: "We are excited to unleash the Zorin OS 9 Core release candidate. This is a pre-release version of the next-generation Zorin OS. We have built it to get your feedback on what we have created so far. The main focus for Zorin OS 9 has been on stability and the refinement of Zorin OS' wide array of incredible features. Firstly, Zorin OS 9 includes a myriad of updated software and bug fixes to ensure that your computer runs better than ever. EFI support has also been added, making it easier to get Zorin OS on newer computers (64-bit only). In addition, we have introduced a new Blue desktop theme to the Zorin Theme Changer in complement to the Light and Dark themes. As Zorin OS 9 is based on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS you can expect to receive continuous software updates until 2019." Here is the brief release announcement with a screenshot. Download (MD5): zorin-os-9-core-64-rc.iso (1,432MB).

The "Lite" edition of Zorin OS 8, an i386-only variant of the beginners-friendly distribution that features the LXDE desktop, has been released: "The Zorin OS team is pleased to release Zorin OS 8 Lite and Business. Zorin OS 8 Lite is the latest evolution of the Zorin OS Lite series of operating systems, designed specifically for Linux newcomers using old or low-powered hardware. This release is based on Lubuntu 13.10 and uses the LXDE desktop environment to provide one of the fastest and most feature-packed interfaces for low-spec machines. This new release includes newly updated software out-of-the-box. Zorin OS 8 Business introduces a myriad of changes to the business-oriented edition of Zorin OS including updated software, improvements to the user interface and entirely new software." Here is the brief release announcement. Download (MD5) the new release from SourceForge: zorin-os-8-lite.iso (905MB).

Artyom Zorin has announced the release of Zorin OS 8 "Educational" edition, an updated version of the project's specialist edition designed primarily for educational institutions: "The Zorin OS team has released Zorin OS 8 Educational, the education-oriented edition of our operating system designed for new Linux users. We have introduced a myriad of changes in Zorin OS including updated software, improvements to the user interface and entirely new software. As always, Zorin OS 8 uses the Zorin Desktop environment with Zorin Menu for unparalleled customization and the Zorin Look Changer for ultimate ease of use. We also include our Zorin Web Browser Manager to ease the installation of web browsers. In addition, we have now made it super easy to install the Zorin World Community Grid program in Zorin OS 8 to help humanity. Zorin OS 8 is based on Ubuntu 13.10." Here is the brief release announcement. Download (MD5): zorin-os-8-educational-64.iso (2,290MB).

Artyom Zorin has announced the release of Zorin OS 8, a brand-new release from the project that caters primarily to new Linux converts with a custom user interface called Zorin Desktop: "The Zorin OS team is excited to announce the release of Zorin OS 8 Core and Ultimate. We have introduced a myriad of changes in Zorin OS including updated software, improvements to the user interface and entirely new software. Zorin OS 8 includes a simpler and more beautiful music player, the Empathy instant messaging client as well as the Zorin theme changer. We have created a beautiful new dark theme in complement to a new and improved light theme. We have created a simple tool to switch between the two quickly and easily. We have revamped the look of the bootloader so that switching between operating systems looks better than ever. As always, Zorin OS 8 uses the Zorin desktop environment with Zorin Menu for unparalleled customization." Here is the brief release announcement with a screenshot. Download (MD5): zorin-os-8-core-64.iso (1,658MB).

Artyom Zorin has announced the availability of the release candidate for Zorin OS 8, a beginner-friendly desktop Linux distribution based on Ubuntu: "To start the new year off, we have unleashed the Zorin OS 8 Core release candidate. This is a pre-release version of the next-generation Zorin OS. We have created it to get your feedback on what we have created so far. We have introduced a myriad of changes in Zorin OS including updated software, improvements to the user interface and entirely new software. Zorin OS 8 includes a simpler and more beautiful music player, the Empathy instant messaging client as well as the Zorin theme changer. Zorin OS 8 features a beautiful new dark theme in complement to a new and improved light theme. We have created this simple application to switch between the two quickly and easily. As always, Zorin OS 8 uses the Zorin desktop environment with Zorin menu for unparalleled customization." Here is the brief release announcement with screenshots. Download (MD5): zorin-os-8-core-64-rc.iso (1,485MB).

Artyom Zorin has announced the release of Zorin OS 6.4 "Educational" edition, an updated version of the project's Ubuntu-based distribution with a collection of educational software: "The Zorin OS team has released Zorin OS 6.4 Educational, the education-oriented version of our operating system designed for Windows users making the switch to Linux. Zorin OS 6.4 Educational includes newly updated software, a newer kernel out of the box and bug fixes. As Zorin OS 6.4 is based on Ubuntu 12.04 it is an LTS (long-term support) release, provided with 5 years of security updates. Users who already have installed earlier versions of the Zorin OS 6 Educational series of operating systems do not need to get Zorin OS 6.4 Educational as all the aforementioned updates and improvements in 6.4 can be applied by installing the latest updates from the Update Manager." Here is the short release announcement. Download (MD5): zorin-os-6.4-educational-32.iso (1,936MB, SHA1).